Collapsible writing shelf



June 24, 1969 R. LEMOYNE COLLAPSIBIJE WRITING SHELF Filed March 15, 1967//V VE/V 7' OR R990, arrow! United States Patent Int. Cl. A47b 3/00 U.S.Cl. 108-34 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates toa wall mounted writing shelf having a cover closed over the writingpaper when the shelf is collapsed against the wall, the coverautomatically opening when the shelf is pivoted to a writing position.

The present invention relates to a shelf for writing :and, morespecifically, to a wall shelf adapted to be installed close to a walltelephone and used for taking notes on a paper pad supported by theshelf.

The general object of the present invention resides in the provision ofa shelf of the character described, which is collapsible, that is whichis pivoted 'in a fast and easy manner between a substantially horizontalwriting position and a collapsed inactive position flat against thewall, whereby the shelf takes up a minimum space when not used.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of awriting shelf of the character described, provided with a cover servingto protect the paper pad carried by the shelf, said cover beingautomatically pivotlable between an open and "a closed position, saidcover automatically opening when the shelf assumes its position of use.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of ashelf of the character described, which is of relatively simpleconstruction, easy to handle and having a long service life.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a shelf ofthe character described, in which the shelf proper is automaticallylocked in .active position, the sys' tem having means to easily releasethe shelf to pivot the same to inactive position.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of awriting shelf of the character described, provided with means to hang atelephone handset.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention will becomemore apparent during the following disclosure and by referring to thedrawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the collapsible writing shelf in itsactive operative position;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the writing shelf in its closed inactiveposition;

FIGURE 3 is a partial side elevation of the writing shelf in a partiallyopen position;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation of the writing shelf in its completely openposition; and

FIGURE 5 is a partial longitudinal section of the writing shelf in apartially open position.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which like referencecharacters indicate like elements throughout, the shelf in accordancewith the invention comprises a wall plate 1, which is flat and ofgenerally rectangular or square shape and adpated to be secured byscrews or the like to a wall 2 in the vicinity of a telephone apparatus,not shown, preferably a wall telephone secured to wall 2.

A shelf 3, of generally rectangular or square shape and provided withlongitudinal side flanges 4 and with a 3,451,360 Patented June 24, 1969Ice transverse end flange 5, is pivoted to the top marginal zone ofplate 1 by means of pivots 6 engaging side flanges 4 and holes made inears 7 integral with plate 1.

A cover 8, of generally rectangular or square shape and havingdimensions similar to those of shelf 3, is disposed on said shelf 3 andcan pivot with respect to the latter. Cover 8 has longitudinal sideflanges 9 and a trans verse terminal flange 10. Cover 8 is pivoted tothe shelf 3 by means of pivots 11 secured to side flanges 9 androtatable in ears 12, which are integral with shelf 3 and disposed inthe vicinity of pivots 6 of shelf 3.

On one side of the shelf 3 and cover 8 there are provided a pair oftoggle links 13, 14 respectively pivotally connected at their outer endsat 13' and 15 to a lateral flange 9 of cover 8 and to wall plate 1.

.Piv-ot 15 engages an ear 16 integral with plate 1 and struck out fromthe same.

The other ends of the links 13 and 14 are mutually pivotally connectedby means of a rivet 17, or the like, which is displ'aceable in alongitudinal slot 18 made in the side flange 4 of shelf 3. The two links13- and 14 treely enter a longitudinal slot 19, made in the top of shelf3, and are applied against the inside face of the flange 4, while therivet 17 has a head overlying the outside face of flange 4.

The sum of the lengths of links 13 and 14 is greater than the distancebetween pivot 13' and 15 in the fully open position of cover 8.

When shelf 3 is upwardly pivoted about its pivot 6, rivet 17 will movewithin slot 18 and be guided by the latter in the direction of pivot 6to thereby automatically open cover 8 with respect to shelf 3 and insuch a manner that, when shelf 3 has attained a substantially horizontalposition, cover 8 is completely open and has a substantially verticalposition, as shown in FIGURE 4. Conversely, by lowering shelf 3 until itcomes to rest against wall plate 1, as shown in FIGURE 2, cover 8 pivotsthrough half a turn to fin ally come to rest against shelf 3. Thus,during opening and closing movement, the cover 8 makes one-half turnduring the time shelf 3 accomplishes only one-quarter turn.

Coil springs 20 and 20 are preferably provided being attached to thecover 8 and shelf 3 and to the shelf 3 and wall plate 1 respectively andurging opening movement of the cover 8 with respect to shelf 3 and ofthe shelf 3 with respect to wall plate 1.

These springs 20, 20 are calculated to soften the closing movement ofthe assembly under the action of gravity, while allowing completeclosing of the assembly.

It should be noted that the assembly can be open or closed by exerting aforce on shelf 3 \or 'on cover 8. In practice, however, it is natural toexert the force on the shelf 3 to lift the same, because its trajectoryis less than that of cover 8.

Shelf locking means are provided to lock the shelf in its horizontaloperative position. These locking means comprise a rod 21 bent to form agenerally rectangular loop disposed transversely of shelf 3 and freelypivotally connected to the latter underneath the same by means of cars22 integral with shelf 3 and located adjacent pivot 6 and slightlyoutwardly of the same with respect to the wall plate 1.

The transverse lower portion of loop 21 is freely movable withinL-shaped slots 23 made in brackets 24 secured to wall plate 1 anddisposed vertically and at right angles with respect to said wallplate 1. L-shaped slots 23 are in inverted position, that is theirtransverse legs are at the upper end of the slots and directed towardsthe outer end of shelf 3.

In the lowered closed position of the shelf 3, the loop 21 engages thelower ends of slots 23 and, by raising the 3 shelf, the loop 21 movesupwardly within slots 23 and automatically engages the transverse legsof said slots 23 and comes to rest against the lower edge of thetransverse legs of said slots, to thereby lock the shelf in itshorizontal operative position.

The loop 21 automatically takes its locking position when the shelf hasattained its operative position, because the loop 21 is pivoted to theshelf in a zone which is slightly offset outwardly with respect to thevertical legs of slot 23. Because loop 21 is freely pivotally connectedto the shelf 3, it tends to take a vertical position and, therefore, toengage the transverse legs of the slots 23.

To release the shelf 3 in order to be able to lower the same, it is onlynecessary to pull outwardly on an extension 25 integral with loop 21 andwhich upwardly and freely extends through an opening 26 made in the endof shelf 3 adjacent the inside terminal edge thereof.

Shelf 3 is provided with a conventional paper holding spring clamp 27disposed transversely adjacent the internal terminal edge of said shelf3. The latter is also provided near an external corner thereof with astruckout cap 28 forming an opening directed towards the inside end ofthe shelf and adapted to receive the tip of a writing pencil, or thelike, to remova'bly retain said pencil on the shelf.

Preferably, also, the assembly further includes a bracket 29 secured towall plate 1 on one side of shelf 3 and adapted to support the handsetof a telephone apparatus.

The writing shelf in accordance with the invention is used as follows:

The shelf 3 normally supports a pad of writing paper maintained inposition by clamp 27 and also a pencil retained within sleeve 28. In theclosed position of the device, as shown in FIGURE 2, the writing paperand the pencil are completely hidden from view and protected againstdust and access to children.

A person using the handset of a telephone with one hand, can lift theshelf 3 with the other hand to bring the shelf 3 into horizontalposition. To lift the shelf, the user may insert a finger under terminaltlange of shelf 3.

When raising the shelf, the cover 8 automatically opens. The shelf, oncein horizontal position, becomes automatically locked in said position bymeans of loop 21 engaging the transverse legs of slots 23. Thus, theshelf is positively maintained in horizontal writing position and notescan be jotted down on the pad :of writing paper by using, if desired,the pencil normally retained in cap 28. If the user has to move awayfrom the telephone and writing shelf, he can easily hang the handset onthe bracket 29.

The writing shelf can be easily closed by one hand. For this, it is onlynecessary to pull on extension 25 of loop 21, whereby the latter pivotswith respect to shelf 3 so that its lower portion will disengage thetransverse legs of slot 23 and slide along the vertical portions of saidslot 23. Upon release of the shelf, the latter automatically pivots intoclosed position. The cover 8 also automatically pivots into closedposition over the writing pad and pencil.

Springs 20 and 20' have for their primary object to maintain the cover 8and shelf 3 in closed position; they also ensure noiseless and smoothopening and closing movements of said cover and shelf by maintaining aconstant tension on the cover and shelf during the opening and closingmovements.

A preferred embodiment in accordance with the invention has beenillustrated and described.

What I claim is:

1. A wall shelf for writing comprising a wall plate adapted to besecured to a wall, a shelf pivotally connected to said wall plate at oneend for movement 'between a lowered position alongside said wall plateand a raised position substantially perpendicular to said wall plate, acover pivoted to said shelf adjacent the pivoted end of said shelf andcapable of taking a closed position resting against said shelf andcovering the same, and an open position substantially at right angles tosaid shelf, link means connected to said shelf, cover and wall plate andproducing the pivoting movement of said cover between its closed andopen positions when said shelf is pivoted between its lowered and raisedpositions, and locking means for locking said shelf in its raisedposition and manually actuated means for releasing said locking means,said link means including at least one pair of toggle levers havingtheir outer ends pivotally connected to said cover and to said wallplate respectively at points spaced from the pivot of said cover to saidshelf and from the pivot of said shelf to said wall plate, said togglelevers being mutually pivotally connected at their inner ends by meansof a pivot, said shelf having a slot in which said last-named pivot isinserted and is guided for longitudinal movement, the sum of the lengthsof said toggle levers being greater than the distance separating thepivots of said toggle links to said cover and to said wall platerespectively in the open position of said cover.

2. A wall shelf for writing comprising a wall plate adapted to besecured to :a wall, a shelf pivotally connected to said wall plate atone end for movement between a lowered position alongside said wallplate and a raised position substantially perpendicular to said wallplate, a cover pivoted to said shelf adjacent the pivoted end of saidshelf and capable of taking a closed position resting against said shelfand covering the same, and an open position substantially at rightangles to said shelf, link means connected to said shelf, cover and wallplate and producing the pivoting movement of said cover be tween itsclosed and open positions when said shelf is pivoted between its loweredand raised positions, and locking means for locking said shelf in itsraised position and manually actuated means for releasing said lockingmeans, said locking means comprising a rod freely pivotally connected tosaid shelf and extending under the same, an element secured to said wallplate and having an inverted L-shaped slot defining a vertical leg and atransverse horizontal leg, the lower end of said rod engaging said slot,said rod being maintained in an inclined position by said slot when saidshelf is in a position other than its completely lowered position,whereby said rod tends to automatically engage the transverse leg ofsaid slot when said shelf attains its raised operative position.

3. A wall shelf as claimed in claim 2, wherein said releasing meansinclude an extension of said rod upstanding from the pivotal connectionof said rod to said shelf and accessible to the user of the wall shelfto cause pivotal movement of said rod out of the transverse leg of saidL-shaped slot.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4,503,690 8/1924 Kroschel 108331,634,294 7/1927 McGowan l08133 XR 2,882,004 4/ 1959 Leishman. 2,967,0771/1961 Suben 108-135 3,129,676 4/1964 Brooks, et al. 10833 BOBBY R. GAY,Primary Examiner.

GLENN 0. PIN CH, Assistant Examiner,

